Friday 29 September 2017

"Emancipation Day" by Wayne Grady

   On the left is the cover of the book that I read and I thought the picture  was interesting.
   But, there is another cover that is more interesting. 
   Unfortunately, the top of the picture is cut off a bit.
   The photo on the right recognizes the importance of jazz music to the story, which takes place mostly in Windsor and Detroit in the 1940's.
   I am fascinated by the fact that it took 20 years for Wayne to finish writing this book, which is based on his family.  His father was born of black parents but was very light -skinned and passed for white- didn't even tell his wife.  She discovered what her husband was hiding shortly before Wayne was born.
  I had no idea of the racial tensions in Windsor and had never heard of the race riot in Detroit in1943. I found this information very interesting.
  Wayne's mother was from Newfoundland and was very naive.  Jack's father was a sailor (also a musician) and was very suave.  Quite a love story.  

Monday 25 September 2017

One Book One Community- Waterloo Region

   I have been a big supporter of One Book One Community since it began in 2002.  I still think of the first book as the best
   "No Great Mischief" was a great book and the author Alistair MacLeod was a fascinating man.
   Meeting the authors is one of the benefits of O.B.O.C.  Alistair died in 2014.
  Another of our authors that has passed is Richard Wagamese.  They were two of my favourite authors.  Meeting these authors makes their books come alive in a special way.
   Unfortunately, there is not a venue that accommodates the author presentation in a comfortable way.  A larger venue is needed.
   I love to remember the books that have been chosen in the past and each spring I anxiously wait for the announcement for the coming year.
   Last year, the book that was chosen was a memoir.  You can read about it here.
   The book for this year is a mix of fiction and non-fiction.  It began 20 years ago as a family story, but became, after 22 revisions, a novel.

Friday 22 September 2017

Big Stone Gap


   After reading such a heavy classic, I wanted to cleanse my palate.  And this book surely did the trick!   A small community in the mountains of Virginia.  What an interesting collection of people!
  The protagonist is an unmarried, Italian  pharmacist.  
  Right on the first page, there is a passage about the local Bookmobile.  I loved this:
   " The Wise county Bookmobile is one of the most beautiful sights in the world to me.  When I see it lumbering down the mountain road like a tank, then turning wide and easing onto Shawnee Avenue, I flag it down like an old friend.  I've waited on this corner every Friday since I can remember.  The Bookmobile is just a government truck, but to me it's a glittering royal coach delivering stories and knowledge and life itself.  I even love the smell of books.  People have often told me that one of their strongest childhood memories is the scent of their grandmother's house.  I never knew my grandmother, but I could always count on the Bookmobile."

   I got a chuckle out of Otto and Worley- the town handymen who drive around town on an open flatbed truck, picking up people's discards.  In some parts of town they are known as "Are Yo'all Using That?"  Worley said, "I like sleeping and eatin'.  Workin' wears me out.  Wind up all tarred and ferget how I spent the day".
   Simple characters, simple language, nice mountain setting, and,  don't forget that single pharmacist. Of course, there is a love story there.  Good for cleansing the palate.



This book was made into a movie starring
 Ashley Judd, Patrick Wilson, and Whoopi Goldberg. 
 Looks good!

Monday 18 September 2017

The Tenant of Windfell Hall


   "The Tenant of Windfell Hall", written in 1848, is about a woman who arrived at Windfell Hall with her son and a servant.  The house had not been lived in for years and stories circulated in the farming community about this quiet, beautiful, young woman. 
    A local farmer, Gilbert Markham, fell in love with her and tried to stop the rumours. Helen allowed him to read her diary and that is where we get her back story of domestic abuse.
   The stories of Helen's husband and his 'buddies' were thought to be too graphic and disturbing for the times.  They were a group of misogynistic, alcoholic brutes, a story that is always disturbing.  
   But Anne Bronte's answer to these arguments was this:
When we have to do with vice and vicious characters, I maintain it is better to depict them as they really are than as they would wish to appear.  To represent a bad thing in its least offensive light, is doubtless the most agreeable course for a writer of fiction to pursue; but is it the most honest, or the safest? Is it better to reveal the snares and pitfalls of life to the young and thoughtless traveller, or to cover them with branches and flowers?"

   Anne's sister, Charlotte had the last word.  
   After Anne died, Charlotte prevented republication of her sister's book.  
   She felt that it violated not only the conventions of the times, but also violated the law.  That is, leaving her husband was against the law, not the abuse.
  The novel certainly reminds us of the difficult life of women who lived a hundred years ago.   
  In fact, the book was written under an alias- a man's name, of course (Acton Bell).
  And you can see from the cover, that it was written in three volumes.  I loved the language, and learned many new words, such as "poltroonery".  But my word for Anne is VERBOSE!

Friday 15 September 2017

Bronte family

I am reading a novel by Anne Bronte, 
so decided to reacquaint myself with the Bronte family.


   The father, Patrick was a minister who loved poetry and published several books.  He was married to Maria, who died in 1821, at age 36, leaving six young children.
  He moved the family to a very gloomy parsonage that overlooked a graveyard.  The children wrote stories to entertain themselves.

   The three oldest girls, Marie, Elizabeth and Charlotte were sent away to an all-girls' school, where the living conditions were poor and a typhoid epidemic swept through the school.  Both Maria and Elizabeth got very sick and were brought home, where they died- the same year.  They were aged 10 and 11.


   The 3 sisters who were left, all wrote novels, each publishing under an alias.  
   Charlotte wrote 3 novels: "Jane Eyre", "Shirley", and "Villette".  She died at age 38 perhaps of tuberculosis, although she was very sick from her pregnancy.  She had only been married for a few months.
   Emily wrote only one novel, "Wuthering Heights" and died at age 30. Her death was also attributed to tuberculosis, although there is much written about the harsh climate and the unsanitary conditions of their home - water that was contaminated by runoff from the graveyard.  Many coughs and colds.  Poor food.
    Anne wrote two books: "Agnes Grey" and "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall". She died at age 29, the same year as her brother died, again attributed to tuberculosis.
   Brother Branwell ( the only son) died at 31 after a life of alcoholism and wild living.
   In spite of the poor health of all the children, the father outlived them all, dying at age 84.    
   So much sadness in this family, but their writing lives on.

Monday 11 September 2017

A New Kind of Christianity

    It seems strange that our views on spirituality have not changed much over the years- just become more embedded.
   This author suggests a different reading of scripture- not from a constitutional approach but as a library of stories, that can teach us about the nature of God.
  He ends up with a loving God rather than a judgmental God.  He does not see the purpose of the church to 'save' people and get them to heaven.  His vision is a church that develops Christlike people.

His thoughts will be accepted as a fresh approach to Christianity by some, heresy by others.
   Brian McLaren was a pastor of an non-denominational church for many years and has developed what is being called an 'emerging church'.  He is now writing full-time and has written many books since 2000.
   He certainly doesn't deal in 'doctrine' but asks questions and sometimes suggests another way to look at an issue.
  It has been 500 years since the Reformation and perhaps this is a new awakening of the church.


Wednesday 6 September 2017

The Woman in Cabin 10

    When I deliver books to the retirement home, I take requests from the residents.  One woman has been waiting for "The Woman in Cabin 10" for months.  It is very popular with a long waiting list.  The library informed me that the book was waiting for me to pick up, but I am not due for a retirement home visit yet, so I decided to quickly read it before delivering it.  I wanted to see why it is so popular.
  I am certainly not one to review a murder mystery.  I have never understood the fascination with murder- in books, movies, or T.V. show.  But many people love this genre.
   The protagonist, Lo Blacklock, a journalist, is given an assignment on a luxury cruise.  Sounds lovely, right?
  Well, Lo was an emotional mess, having experienced a home invasion as well as a romantic tangle before boarding the ship. Too much for one woman and by the time she boards the ship, she is dependant on booze and drugs.  So..  How reliable is her story of seeing a body pushed over the side of the ship?
  One reviewer said that she would have liked to have pushed Lo over the side of the ship.  I didn't say that...remember, I don't like anything about murder.  But....

Saturday 2 September 2017

eclectic reading

   Last week I realized that I was involved in a strange assortment of books.  That is not surprising because, at one time, I belonged to a classic book club, a modern fiction book club and a non-fiction book club with spiritual relevance.  So every month I read a variety of books.  But I don't often have three books 'on the go' at the same time.  
   After a few days, I decided to finish one at a time- easier to appreciate each one and put all my thoughts into that book.
  These are the books that I was reading:



    Many people are thinking that we need a change of focus in the Christian church.  The Reformation was 500 years ago.  Is there a need for another shift?   



   
  

A murder mystery that is on everyone's reading list this year.  Why?






  We all know the novels of Charlotte and Emily Bronte.  But what about their sister Anne?




  Can you guess which one I decided to finish first?  The murder mystery was definitely not my favourite, but you have to keep reading in order to keep all the 'clues' in your mind.  Got it finished first. Then the religious book.  It was heavy, and I needed to stick with it to appreciate the whole picture.  And now I am enjoying the classic.  Love Victorian literature!  The words!  The words!